That’s exactly what the senior-only Panthers did. They shot a 9-over par 293 for an eight-shot victory to reach state for the second straight year. Augenstein led the team with a 1-under par 70 to tie for second overall. Eian Cambria shot 71 to tie for fourth, Bradley Hinkel shot 75, Jack Rott shot 77 and Brogan Cambria finished at 80 with a score that didn’t count toward the team total.
“I want to say, I don’t know for sure, but I think our team maybe didn’t try going at the pins and played it safe,” Augenstein said. “Obviously we played really well. Just smarter course management.”
The Panthers will play next Friday and Saturday on the Ohio State Scarlet Course where last year they shot rounds of 337 and 335 to finish ninth. Last year at districts they shot 311 to finish third. This year’s team has been consistently much better.
“Everybody knows they put the time in, and they work really hard at it,” Martin said. “But when you have other people on your team that push you, I think that really is what has kind of set this team apart this year.”
There have been other factors as well. They were invited to more tournaments around the state and played top competition on difficult courses.
“They can come into a big event like today and they don’t feel as much pressure because they’ve kind of been in those moments earlier this year,” Martin said.
The preparation for this season has been taking place off the course for years.
“We’ve all played with each other since sixth, seventh grade,” Hinkel said. “We hang out all the time together. We have parties at one of our friend’s house, and we just hit balls, hitting the simulator together in the winter. We’re always together.”
Augenstein says the team bonded more this year than in the past.
“I think it’s helped all of our guys,” he said. “We can all trust each other. If I go out there and maybe I don’t play the greatest, I have confidence one of them is probably going to have a good day,”
Halfway through the back nine, Augenstein, Cambria and Hinkel were all in contention to win the individual title. Hinkel and Cambria struggled a bit as the wind increased on 16, 17 and 18, but it didn’t matter. Augenstein picked them up and closed with four pars. The lead they had built was more than enough.
“We dropped a couple shots, but I just couldn’t be more happy for these guys,” Martin said.
Bellbrook finished in fourth place and two shots short of a first trip to state. The Golden Eagles shot 308, while Cincinnati St. Xavier shot 301 and Lakota East 306. Aidan Caswell and Brody Miller shot 75s for Bellbrook, C.J. Scohy shot 77 and David Gregory 81.
The three individual qualifiers were led by medalist Cayse Morgan of Cincinnati Elder. He birdied two of his last three holes for a 68. Aiden Kennedy of Cincinnati Moeller was next with a 70, and Franklin sophomore Aiden Standifer earned the final spot with a 71.
Standifer opened the day with two double bogeys. He rebounded with three birdies and no bogeys of any kind to get back to 1-over. On the 220-yard, par-3 No. 17, he hit his tee shot into a red penalty area. But he had a good lie and did not have to take a drop outside the penalty area and incur a penalty stroke. Standifer then chipped in for a birdie. Then he parred No. 18 to safely advance by two shots over Centerville’s Zach Hartley and two others.
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